Tip Three: Boost Nutrition to Food Items - Wheat and Ragi Flatbread

Wheat and Ragi Roti or Flatbread

Roti or fire-toasted/puffed flatbread is the most common part of the meal all over India, but more prevalent in the Central and Northern parts of the country. It is made with whole wheat flour and comparatively nutritious as compared to another basic grain such as Rice. 

Diabetes is very prevalent among Indians because carbohydrates are a major portion of Indian food which increases the glucose release in the system. This value is called as Glycemic Index (GI).

In simple words, the Glycemic Index is explained as the measurement of glucose release after the intake of carbohydrate-containing food. It is a carbohydrate ranking based on its impact on glucose release levels. The GI index is measured from 1 - 100 and is divided into three levels as follows:

• Low GI: 1 to 55
• Medium GI: 56 to 69
• High GI: 70 to 100

However, the GI index does not take into account other nutritional content of the food such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals. To counteract the quantity issue, researchers developed the glycemic load (GL) measurement, which accounts for the quantity of the food being eaten. The glycemic load looks at both the quality and the quantity of the carb. It is calculated by multiplying the GI by the number of carbohydrates (in grams) in your portion size, then dividing that number by 100. It is recommended to keep your daily GL under 100.

For example, an apple has a GI of 40 and contains 15 grams of carbs. (40 x 15)/100 = 6, so the glycemic load of an apple is 6. This is considered a low GL food.

The GL values can also be broken down into three ranges.

• Low GL: 1 to 10
• Medium GL: 11 to 19
• High GL: 20 or more

Depending on your health goals, following a GI-based diet might mean you'll be able to rely less on standard dieting measures such as calorie counting or regimented portion control. Simply being more mindful of your carb choices rather than severely limiting them can also be more sustainable in the long run, as compared to more restrictive diets.

Any guesses what is the GI value of Whole Wheat Roti is? It stands at 69; at an upper Medium level. That's pretty high 😔 !

Can we reduce the GI value so that the basic food item can still be enjoyed and will be nutritious? 

By pairing the Whole Wheat flour with Ragi flour, you can reduce the GI value. Ragi Flour stands at <40 GI value (finger millet). It is considered a poor man's food. I wonder why? 

Make the roti dough using Whole Wheat /Ragi flour in a 1:1 ratio that will reduce the GI value and GL too, ultimately. In such a ratio, the GI will be 69+40/2 = 54.5, taking it to a low GI level. In addition to lowering the GI value, Ragi flour has many other nutritious qualities.

Ragi is finger millet, which is high in protein and minerals in comparison to all other cereals and millets. It is also a source of protein, which is perfect for vegetarians. Ragi is a great source of iron making it beneficial for individuals with low hemoglobin levels. 

Below are the instructions on how we made the whole wheat and ragi roti or flatbread:

The ingredients needed to make the dough for flatbread are 1/2 cup of Whole Wheat flour (atta), 1/2 cup of Ragi flour, 2 pinches salt, and 100 ml of lukewarm water. Combine the dry ingredients and slowly add the water to bring the ingredients together. Make sure to gather all the mixture from the sides and knead the dough until it's not sticky and make it into a ball. Rub a teaspoon of cooking oil on the surface of the dough and place it in a bowl with a lid to cover. Put it aside for 15 -30 minutes. 

Quick Tips: Add water slowly as sometimes based on the flour, it may not require all the amount. If the dough seems flaky and dry, add a little more water.  However, if the dough seems sticky, add more flour to absorb the water.

                                         

Make lime size balls and then roll out each ball into flat roti with a rolling pin. Make sure each roti is evenly rolled out. 

Then toast each of the roti for a couple of minutes on each side on the Tawa (or flat pan). Next, transfer the toasted rotis onto the round stainless steel BBQ Grill Netted Mesh with Handle. Once the roti or flatbread puffs up, transfer into a flat container with a lid to keep the rotis warm. Rub or spray oil or butter to keep them soft.

The rotis or flatbread are now ready to be served and enjoyed with your favorite curry. We have a great selection of curries as well; check them out on our recipes page. 

We hope you are enjoying reading about our tips during this Navratri. If you have a good tip to share, please post a comment. We love hearing from our readers. 

*Reference Materials: https://www.verywellhealth.com/glycemic-index-chart-for-common-foods-1087476

Throwback Thursday: Protein Packed Lentil Waffles

Still thinking about the pesarattu waffles my mom and I made last year with our waffle maker from Costco. Pesarattu is a type of dosa made with lentils. Instead of making it the traditional way, we kicked it up a notch and used the dosa dough to make WAFFLES!!!

Check out these crispy lentil waffles... 

Whole Moong waffles

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole Moong (mung bean) and 1/8 cup rice soaked for 6 to 8 hours 
• Onion, finely chopped
• Cumin seeds
• Salt for taste

Procedure

We used our stone grinder and ground the soaked moong dal and rice to a smooth consistency (consistency of dosa dough).  Once the dough is prepared, it's time to make the waffles.

As you will see in the video, we applied oil on the waffle grooves and then poured the lentil and rice batter. Make sure to evenly spread the batter in the waffle maker. (Please see video for details). 

The waffles can be enjoyed on their own or with your favorite chutney. 

How do you use your waffle maker? Do you make savory waffles too? Please share your comments with us. 

Karapappalu - Crispy Ragi and Kale Patties

It's surely been a healthy ride these past couple of months...and still going! We're ending National Nutrition Month with a "Krispy" twist; scroll down for more details...

Every year my mom and I try various ways to eat better and stay healthy. Rice is our staple and we ate a lot of it. Alas, that has come to an end. Instead of eating rice heavy meals, we switched to salads for dinner. Don't get me wrong, I still eat rice but not as much as before. 

Does judge me when I say this but I love shopping for food items more than clothing. I love the aromas of different spices, herbs, fruits and vegetables. Our local farmers market has a good stock of vegetables and that's where we got the KALE. 

Didn't realize it at the time but I think we bought too much. So we started using it in everything. Even kale in Karapappalu! 

Karapappalu are crispy rice and moong dal patties that are a popular Telangana snack.  We got soo bored of eating salads few weeks back that we got creative and made Karapappalu with kale and other healthy ingredients. Check out the recipe below and tell us what you think:

Ingredients

- 1 cup Ragi flour

- 2 cups Rice flour

- 1 long squash

- 1 cup kale, finely chopped

- 1/3 cup moong dal, soaked in water for 30 minutes

- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

- 3 Tbsp sesame seeds

- 2 Heaved Tbsp cornmeal

- 1/2 Tbsp Salt (or as needed)

- 2 to 3 cups Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Procedure

Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium to large bowl and mix well. Then add all the vegetables and soaked moong dal to the dry mixture and mix well. 

Slowly add water to the mixture and knead until it is of dough consistency. (Note: raw vegetables release water after few minutes of taking in salt, so keep the dough somewhat dry).

Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Shape (lime size) dough balls into round flat ½ cm thick patties.

Quick tip: To avoid dough from sticking to your fingers, slightly wet your hands.  You can also use wax paper or plastic bag to press the dough into patties as shown below.

Transfer each shaped patty into hot oil and fry to golden brown/reddish color. 

For best results:  Use a steel skimmer to turn each patty in-between for even frying. Then use it to transfer the fried patty into a metal sieve resting in a bowl so that excess oil can be drained. After that, you can transfer the patty to a serving bowl (see video for for clarification). 

After the patties were ready, we served them with a dipping sauce we made with sour cream and crushed dried mint. You can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream too. 

Comfort Food Series: Waffles to the Rescue!

Idli Waffles with hot sambhar and creamy coconut chutney 

Winter snowstorm Niko plowed us in for the day, so we took the day off and experimented in the kitchen. We got out our nifty Cuisinart waffle maker and made Idli Waffles. These crispy and savory waffles are a real crowd pleaser. 

Bon Appetit!!  

Paratha Junction: Your Connection to Hot Hot Parathas

I remember the good old days when my friends and I would stand in line for at least half hour to an hour just to get a falafel sandwich or chicken and rice from the guy at 53rd and 6th ave in New York City at 4am Friday night. That was our thing; sometimes you have to give in to your cravings, no matter how late it is.

Although, I'm not that age anymore, some things still remain the same. Like the fact that I still get those cravings after a night of fun. 

A couple weeks ago, my friend and I went to the city for a party and on our way home, he tells me he knows of a great place to curve my cravings. Lucky for us it was late and found great parking on Newark Ave. This spot has the best parathas (Indian stuffed flatbreads) is what he says.

Paratha Junction is located on Newark Avenue in Jersey City, NJ. It's a small place but the parathas (which was why we were there) are hot and plenty. Oh and did I mention they are the size of dinner plates so they can charge you $6 or more a paratha. 

Gobi paratha with lime pickle and plain yogurt - FINGER LICKING GOOD :) 

I wish I had the stomach and endurance like Anthony Bourdain from No Reservations TV Show. That guy can eat anything and everything. I chose a safe bet and ordered one each of the mooli (raddish) and gobi (cauliflower) parathas. I ate about half of each and packed the rest for home. 

Recap of my comments: 

- each the size of a dinner plate

- seasoned well with fresh coriander, spices, and vegetables in almost every inch of flatbread

- cooked and toasted well

- I just wish I told them to add more chilies or chili powder so it would have been a bit more spicy otherwise A OKAY. 

My friend ordered the chicken tikka and Hydrogen bomb (made with chicken, lamb, and lots of chilies) parathas. He liked the spice combination with the chicken in the chicken tikka one but he could have done without so many chilies in the latter. He was satisfied with his selection and told me he will go back there again to try more varieties. 

Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone who likes Indian flatbreads (incl. parathas, chappatis, rotis, naan, puris, etc). I am looking forward to trying more parathas, whether it be a late night craving or lunch.